Project X18: Lockpicking (Up to 40 pts. extra credit)

Purpose

Most locks used in the USA are absurdly insecure. Most students can learn to pick them within an hour. Lockpicking is now a standard skill for penetration testers, because many people are unaware how insecure their locks are.

WARNING

Don't pick locks that are actually in use, such as doors at school, because you can jam them and render them unusable.

Also, of course, never pick locks you are not authorized to pick!

Challenge 1: House Locks: Up to 25 pts

There are five types of house locks available in the S214 lab, and an assortment of lockpicks. I recommend picking them in this order:
WHITE  -- 1 pin
GREEN  -- 2 pins
YELLOW -- 3 pins
RED    -- 4 pins
BLACK  -- 5 pins
Each color is worth 5 pts.

Recording Your Points

Get your instructor or a lab monitor to record your level of success.

Challenge 2: Cable Lock: (+5 pts.)

There's a cable lock with four dials, each numbered from 0 to 9. Here's one method that supposedly works to open it:

Challenge 3: MasterLock (+5 pts.)

Crack Any Master Combination Lock in 8 Tries or Less Using This Calculator

Challenge 4: Handcuffs (+5 pts.)

Recording Your Points

Get your instructor or a lab monitor to record your level of success.

References

Recommended secure locks at the end of this paper
Recommended lockpick set from Amazon ($25)
Supplier that sells lockpicks one by one (UK, slow shipping)
Legal issues around lockpicking


Last modified: 4-8-16